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Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program
North Carolina’s second and third leading causes of death are heart disease and stroke. In 1995, in the
face of growing scientific evidence that heart disease and stroke can be prevented, the North Carolina
Legislature established the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force, later renamed the Justus-Warren
Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention Task Force (JWTF). In 1998, North Carolina was awarded funding from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement, the North Carolina Heart Disease & Stroke
Prevention (NC HDSP) program, a state-based cardiovascular health program.
The work of the JWTF and the NC HDSP program focuses on systems-level change to create communities,
work places, schools, and health care systems that are supportive of cardiovascular health promotion
and cardiovascular disease prevention. Due to the complexity and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases
and risk factors, it takes numerous programs working together to make a difference. The NC HDSP Program
seeks to partner with multiple organizations - both public and private - in settings across the state
to address physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, tobacco use, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes,
and overweight/obesity, as well as emergency response and acute health care systems for heart attack and
stroke.
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During American Heart Month, Cabarrus Health Alliance held
its annual "Go Red Day" event to increase public awareness
of heart disease risk factors and prevention. Presenting at
the Auditorium location in
Kannapolis is: Bobbie Rowe |
Local Initiatives
Cabarrus Health Alliance’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
Program is dedicated to improving the quality of life in Cabarrus
County and the South Central Region of North
Carolina through policy and environmental change. By working with
multiple partner organizations in settings across the 16 counties of
the South Central Region, we are specifically addressing high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, quality of cardiovascular care, and
awareness of stroke signs and symptoms.
To view the counties of the South Central Region,
CLICK HERE.
The HDSP program focuses on the following:
Continuing Education for Healthcare Professionals
We will increase the number of continuing education opportunities
offered to health care and emergency response professionals that focus on proper blood
pressure and cholesterol measurement and follow-up guidelines, racial and ethnic disparities in CVD,
and best practices in cardiovascular care.
Worksite Wellness
We will encourage local businesses to adopt policies to include
worksite wellness programs that will educate employees on blood
pressure, cholesterol, heart disease, and stroke.
Quality Improvement Programs for
Hospitals and Physicians
We will increase the participation of hospitals and primary care
physicians in CVD quality improvement programs such as the North
Carolina Chronic Disease Management Collaborative, National
Committee for Quality Assurance Heart/Stroke Recognition Program,
Paul Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry, and the American Heart
Association’s Get With the Guidelines Programs.
African American
Education through Faith-Based Organizations
We will partner with African American churches and organization to
promote CVD education programs, regular blood pressure screenings,
and CPR training.
Public Awareness
We will work with local community groups the media to increase public awareness of
heart disease and stroke prevention, risk factors, signs/symptoms, and treatment. Click
here to view the
Faces of Stroke video, a short educational video created through the HDSP program in
partnership with other members of the Cabarrus Stroke Collaborative (CMC-NorthEast,
the American Heart/American Stroke Association, Cabarrus EMS, and the North Carolina
Stroke Care Collaborative)
As of 2011, special emphasis is given to the ABC’s of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.
The ABC’s stand for the following:
A = Aspirin Therapy. Ask your doctor about taking aspirin once a day. Aspirin can help prevent heart attacks and stroke.
B = Blood Pressure Control. Have your blood pressure checked regularly, and ask your doctor what your blood pressure numbers mean for you.
C = Cholesterol Control. Get your cholesterol checked, and if your numbers are high, talk to your doctor about lowering your cholesterol.
S = Smoking Cessation. If you smoke, talk with your doctor about how to quit.
S = Sodium Reduction. If you have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about lowering the salt in the food you eat.
Contact Info:
Erin M Bayer, MPH
Regional Coordinator-
Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program
Cabarrus Health Alliance
1307 South Cannon Blvd
Kannapolis, NC 28083
Office: 704-920-1257
E-mail:
EMBayer@cabarrushealth.org
For more information
please visit:
www.startwithyourheart.com
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